Steadfast Beer Co. – Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Ale (2015)

13Sep

A gluten-free pumpkin beer? Not being gluten intolerant myself, a world with limited quantities of drinkable beer is a horror I’ve never known. I can only imagine that suffering this deprivation would equate to a suffering second only to a world without cheese. Being best friends with a lovely gluten intolerant lady has made certain nights of drinking where I’ve attempted to drink empathetically like drinks, but there are only so many mornings after an all Prosecco night that I have left in me to suffer. Could this pumpkin beer be a solution to our beer conundrum? Pumpkin Spice Ale pours a light, clear orange and the smell of molasses immediately thickens the air with wisps of cinnamon and a hint of rice. Odd, but intriguing. Now for the taste – no, no, no – “tastes like BURNING”. After the acerbic onset of my second sip, the ale finally subsides into vanilla, faint pumpkin, and a chalky sorghum finish that will leave you angry and confused. Sadly, there was no third sip for me, but there was a first one for the sink.

Who tested this for balance and flavor? Is this how the gluten intolerant folk live? Scandalous! We owe it to them to not settle at brewing a pseudo-mediocre beer and slapping a price tag on it. I wanted to like this and not gum up my drain with sorghum – I want a lot of things, just not this beer. 52/100